Nov. 3, 2010, Guelph, Ont. – A greenhouse grower is this year’s recipient of the Paul Mistele Memorial Award from the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB). The award was presented during Ontario’s Harvest Gala in Guelph.
The award, named for the Rodney, Ontario, area farmer who founded Ontario Pork’s Donate-A-Hog program in 1998, is presented to an agricultural partner who has shown a significant and enduring commitment to ending hunger in Ontario.
This year’s recipient is Nature Fresh Farms, a greenhouse grower based in Leamington. The company has provided the province’s food banks with 600,000 pounds of fresh vegetables over the past two years and has been instrumental in recruiting additional farms to participate in partnerships with food banks.
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Peter Quiring, of Nature Fresh Farms, and Joanne Santucci, of
Hamilton Food Share, in this file photo.
ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF FOOD BANKS PHOTO
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Nature Fresh was established in 1996, and has grown into one of the largest greenhouse vegetable operations in Canada.
“Seventy-three per cent of low-income Ontarians lack adequate access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” said OAFB executive director Ed Borkowski. “The work of Nature Fresh Farms provides a great example of the generosity of Ontario’s farmers and their commitment to helping their neighbours facing hunger.”
Past recipients of the Paul Mistele Memorial Award include Ontario Pork, the Ontario Dairy Council, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, and the Ontario Milk Transport Association.
The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) is a network of over 100 food banks including communities across the province from Ottawa to Windsor, and Niagara Falls to Thunder Bay.
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